The subway doesn't travel to Bayside, which borders Little Bay and Little Neck Bay, but the Long Island Rail Road travels to Penn Station in less than half an hour. There are also express buses, which take about 50 minutes to Manhattan, and city buses connect with the No. 7 train.

Several highways are within or near the neighborhood, including the Cross Island Parkway and the Long Island Expressway, as well as the Throgs Neck Bridge.

Housing in Bayside ranges from modestly priced postwar coops and condos to detached houses in gated communities selling for more than $1 million. Two-bedroom co-ops often list for around $200,000 to $300,000, brokers say. Single-family homes tend to start around $400,000, and the highest sale price in Bayside in 2011 was $1.6 million, Ms. Reardon says.

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According to StreetEasy.com, the median sales price in Bayside in the fourth quarter was $320,000, a 0.7% decrease from the same period in 2010 and 10% drop from final quarter of 2008. In all of Queens, the fourth-quarter median sales price was $285,000.

Families are attracted to the neighborhood's single-family houses, highly rated public schools and large network of parks, brokers say. Young professionals are drawn by the large supply of inexpensive apartments, compared with Manhattan and neighborhoods in western Queens such as Long Island City and Jackson Heights.

A lively night life and dining scene along Bell Boulevard, the main commercial strip, is another draw. The section of Bell near the LIRR station has a network of small and independent businesses, while national stores and restaurants are available at the Bay Terrace shopping center.

"A lot of times people think they need to live on top of the subway or in western Queens," says Helen Keit of Keller Williams Realty. When "they can't find enough of what they're looking for, they'll start to look this way and realize the extra few minutes [of commuting time] solves the problem."

ENLARGE

The neighborhood enjoys a wealth of green space, particularly along its lengthy waterfront. Fort Totten Park, which consists of parkland and a Civil War fortress, is on a peninsula in northeast Bayside. A walking and bicycling path runs between the bay and the Cross Island Parkway, and the Bayside Marina offers boat, dock and mooring rentals, as well as kayak storage. Queensborough Community College has continuing education classes and hosts concerts, children's programs and singalong movie nights at its performing arts center.

Parks: The neighborhood has several waterfront parks, including the 60-acre Fort Totten Park, on a peninsula jutting into Little Neck Bay, which has ball fields, swimming, diving and wading pools, walking paths and a preserved Civil War fortress. The 55-acre Little Bay Park has a roller hockey rink, ball fields, dog run, and a canoe and kayak launch. The nearby Alley Pond Park is a 657-acre expanse with an "adventure course," including a climbing wall, zip line, nets and swings.

Schools: Bayside is part of District 26, where 96.6% of students met or exceeded state standards on math exams in 2009, up from 86.5% in 2006. In English language arts, 91.3% of students met or exceeded standards in 2009, compared with 80% four years earlier.

Local public schools include Benjamin N. Cardozo High School, with 4,063 students, which received a B on its city progress report for the 2010-11 school year; and Bayside High School, with 3,628 students, which received an A.

Restaurants: Several eateries are along Bell Boulevard, including outposts of Uncle Jack's Steakhouse and Jackson Hole Burgers, and a variety of ethnic restaurants, such as Erawan Thai Cuisine. Seafood restaurant Pier 25A is on Northern Boulevard. Chain restaurants such as the Outback Steakhouse, Tony Roma's and Applebee's are in the Bay Terrace shopping area.

Shopping: The Bay Terrace shopping center has several large national stores, including the Gap and Barnes & Noble. Smaller, independent stores line Bell Boulevard. A 56,000-square-foot Fairway Market recently opened in neighboring Douglaston, and box-store shopping can be found in College Point.

Entertainment: Bayside is home to a lively night-life scene, with popular bars including Donovan's Grill & Tavern, and Monahan & Fitzgerald, both on 41st Avenue.

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